101013.8
CAPT Dubois, C.
LOCATION USS Peacecraft, conference room, diplomatic sector.
MISSION Re-establish communication with Ralin government, in order to find a way to increase level of diplomatic relations.
OUTCOME Agreement on the reciprocal exchange of a small diplomatic team has been reached. Other agreements may be reached pending Ralin’s Assembly approval.
KEY PERSONNEL
- CAPT C. Dubois
- CAPT B. Carter
NARRATIVE USS Peacecraft and USS Opportunity reached the Ralin system after a request sent to the Ralin government for the opening of a new round of negotiations. Talks were carried on board USS Peacecraft, in a conference room specifically devoted to them. The Ralin delegation that beamed on board was composed by Assembly Delegates Martin Kori and Aran Gara, and Admiral Takar Irani.
After exchanging courtesies, the talks began in earnest. The Ralin delegation immediately stated their priorities in building new defenses against a possible attack from Viggo. Specifically, the Ralin delegation requested the delivery of weapons for their fleet and their defenses, and help with manpower generation to man the fleet.
In accordange with Federation policy concerning the supply of weapons, this officer, together with Capt. Carter, considered the request as unreceivable given the current state of diplomatic relations between Ralin and the Federation, and the overall state of affairs inside the former Azedi Confederacy.
As a result, and in line with the overall goal of the mission, both myself and Capt. Carter focused our offers on a full-fledged agreement, namely: the use of industrial replicators for quickstarting their defense industry reconstruction; the sending of one to two training vessels in loan to the Ralin fleet; an officers exchange program for increasing their manpower generation efforts; the establishment of a permanent diplomatic representation on Ralin; joint patrols outside the Ralin system.
Unfortunately, all offers were declined. An attempt was made also to link talks with the improvements of ties with Kacam and Citali, but to no avail, the Ralin government already having progressed greatly towards a mutual defense treaty with Kacam.
At the end, Delegate Martin suggested to defer further talks to approval from the Assembly, however accepting the reciprocal exchange of a small diplomatic delegation with the main goal of building mutual understanding.
RECOMMENDATION It is this officer’s opinion that negotiations with Ralin should resume as soon as possible. However, it looks clear that the Ralin will not accept anything less than the direct delivery of weapons. This is a diplomatic conundrum whose ramifications the Federation, and Starfleet, should acknowledge and address as soon as possible. It is my recommendation that some weapons be delivered to Ralin, specifically phasers for their fleet and, in particular, shields. I understand that this would require a relaxation of current policies concerning the supply of weapons, but it is important to stress that it is hard to imagine an alternative if we want to improve our standing with Ralin.
A possible alternative would be to call for a tri-lateral meeting also involving Kacam, and asking both powers to constitute a joint military unit (possibly a small fleet plus a marine contingent), and to accept to equip it with Federation weapons. This would mean that the supply of weapons would be conditional to a concrete first step towards overcoming entrenched political boundaries.
In any case, it is of the utmost importance to exploit the opportunity offered us by the diplomatic exchange that has been agreed upon. Above all, it is clear that there is still much to learn concerning Ralin’s culture, attitudes, and cognitive decision-making processes. These gaps in our knowledge need to be addressed as thoroughly as possible to avoid further misunderstandings hampering our efforts.
I would also recommend to redefine and clarify our strategy concerning Ralin and, by extension, to the whole former space of the Azedi Confederacy. If our goal is to isolate Viggo, then my recommendation to supply weapons to Ralin would gain in strength. If our goal is a long-tem diplomatic process of détente, then I would recommend to proceed slowly through our current diplomatic arrangements and proceed on a step-by-step basis.
RECOGNITION I would like to commend Capt. Carter for his behavior during the talks. While not an experienced diplomat, and admittedly on his first true diplomatic assignment, he did his best to ease the concerns of the Ralin delegation.
OOC Thanks to @dandin384 for roleplaying the Ralin delegation! It was tough, but fun!